Fire alarm and extinguisher



Aug. 28, 1956 P. J. SHOWSTACK FIRE ALARM AND EXTINGUISHER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 6, 1954 7/4/5170? Pau/ Ski/Kiwi ywqwq' 7 8, 1956 P. J. SHOWSTACK FIRE ALARM AND EXTINGUISHER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 6. 1954 m z/nvral? Paul J. howstack 6/ A ,qrromvfy United States Patent FIRE ALARM AND EXTINGUISHER Paul J. Showstack, Mattapan, Mass.

Application October 6, 1954, Serial No. 460,683

2 Claims. (Cl. 116-406) The present invention relates to a fire alarm device and fire extinguisher of the general type shown in my previously issued patent, Number 2,649,752. In this patent the alarm is produced by means of a small rotary whistle which is operated from a fluid container from which such gas as Freon No. 12 is released. Such a gas not only will operate the fire alarm, but is also an eflicient means for extinguishing a fire.

This patented device is successful and useful in many ways. It is desirable, however, to produce a device which will be extremely cheap and which could be put in many places in the home providing the cost of each of the said devices would be very small.

One object of the present invention is to provide an alarm and an extinguisher which is so simple in construction that many of them could be used in the home, one or more in each room and they could be used not only for producing an alarm when a fire occurred in the vicinity, but also they could be used to extinguish the fire by the Freon gas or other equivalent gas released from the can.

A further object of the present invention is to produce an alarm and fire extinguisher of such a nature that no parts can get out of order and of such a type that it will operate at all times immediately when the fuse in the gas containing can is released so that the gas will operate the alarm device.

In the present invention, the alarm device is of a simple whistle type, a whistle of the wind pipe type or tube which will produce, when properly operated, an exceedingly high and loud note.

The alarm device of the present invention is preferably contained in a small box or carton which may be of cardboard or inexpensive plastic and can be hung to a wall or placed on a shelf anywhere in the room without it being conspicuous in any way.

The invention will be further described in connection with the drawings illustrating an embodiment thereof in which:

Figure 1 shows an elevation through the fire alarm and extinguishing device with parts shown in section.

Figure 2 shows a section on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows an end view looking upward at Figure 2.

Figure 4 shows a perspective of the container in which the fire alarm device is contained.

Figure 5 shows a section through a modification of the device shown in Figure 1.

In the arrangement indicated in Figure 1, 1 is a container which preferably contains an inert gas which may be liquid under pressure and may become gas when released, such gases as Freon 12 or some such gas may be used which vaporizes from expansion and is capable, in addition, of putting out a fire. Gases capable of this are well known and are disclosed in my prior patent referred to.

The container 1 may be covered by an ordinary steel top 2, through which there may be small vents 33 which are ordinarily sealed with some low temperature melting metal 31 to retain the gas in the container 1. Such low temperature fusible metal, when melted by the heat of a nearby fire which may be in the vicinity of to F. or whatever the said temperature for the fusible elements is designed, will melt out of the metal filling the vents 3 and permit the gas within the container 1 to escape and blow against a whistle 31 which is positioned over the vent holes 3 and which whistle is set in such a manner to receive the gas through the mouth of the whistle to produce a sound in the whistle. Instead of setting the whistle 31 on the container top 2, it is spaced a slight distance from the container top 2 and is supported from the top of the box 4. The tops of the box 4 may be provided with a rubber gripping element 5 or the element 5 may be plastic or other material with a recessed section and side flanges 6 which press against the whistle near the top and hold the whistle firmly in place. The whistle 31 is closed at the top end by the element 5 and the pipe of the whistle is directed straight upward so that the holes through the opening in the top of the container 2 Will direct the gas flow into the mouth of the Whistle which is shown in section in Figures 2 and 3.

The construction of the device shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 is remarkably simple inasmuch as the box or container may be made out of cardboard with suitable perforations 7 to permit the sound to escape easily through the box or through the walls of the box and to provide a very simple whistle or fire alarm device when the fusible elements in the top 2 of the box are melted by the heat of the fire. The whistle 31 may be of the tuned type and to the extent that its length is definitely limited it will be tuned and produce a tone which may be established and will therefore be clearly known as the tone on which the fire alarm device will operate.

The container or can 1 is preferably held in a box or carton 10 of cardboard or other suitable material such as metal or molded plastic and preferably is composed of a side 11 which is free from the rest of the container and may be fixed to a wall by screws secured through screw holes 12. The carton or box is then hung on the side attached to the wall by means of a tongue 13 attached to side 11, which tongue has forwardly projecting extensions from the side 11 and is adapted and positioned to pass through a slot 14 in the top wall of the carton.

The side wall 11 fits snugly into the edge of the carton formed by the other walls so that when the carton is hung in place with the tongue 13 engaging the slot 14, the box will be firmly secured in place against the wall.

As will be noted from Figure 1, the can 1 is held in one position by the wall of the carton and the back so that the position of the whistle 31 is correct for the vent holes 3 in the top of the can 1 when the metal melts out to permit the gas in the can to operate the whistle. The gas will blow upwards through the mouth 15 of the whistle and cause the whistle to sound in the same manner as a closed pipe since the top of the whistle is substantially sealed by the top seal 5.

In the arrangement indicatedin Figure 5, the cans 16, 16, 16, containing Freon 12 or other equivalent gas is shown positioned side by side each with a whistle 17, 17, 17, of the same type as shown in Figure 1. In this case of the multiple arrangement each whistle and can may be of the same design so as to operate and let go at the same temperature and with the same sound, or the fusible elements may be set so that one will operate at a lower temperature than the other. While a partition is shown in the carton of Figure 5, the cans may be side by side and touch so that the whistles 17 will be properly positioned over the fused opening in the can to permit them to sound when the fusible element in the can is melted.

The perforations 7 which may extend to the lower part of the box or carton 10 will also permit the heat to permeate the inside of the carton and melt the fusible element to let the alarm go oif.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A fire alarm device comprising a box of thin cardboard material having a removable side cover, means supporting said box by said side cover, a can substantially filling the cross section dimension of said box, said can having a fusible orifice closure at the top thereof adapted to give way at heat above normal temperature to permit gas contained in the can to escape outward, a whistle, means comprising a clamp member fixed to the top of said box securing said whistle in a vertical position above the orifice opening.

2. A fire alarm device comprising a box of thin cardboard material having a removable side cover, means supporting said box by said side cover, a cylindrical can substantially filling the cross section dimension and engaging the sides of said box, said can having a tapered top section with a fusible orifice closure at the top thereof adapted to give way at heat above normal temperature to permit gas contained in the can to escape outward, a cylindrical elongated whistle, means fixed to the top of the box comprising a clamp member having a recess therein with said whistle vertically positioned and secured in said recess with the mouth of said whistle positioned just above said fused orifice closure.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,211,142 Loudon Aug. 13, 1940 2,548,382 Lovelace Apr. 10, 1951 2,649,752 Showstack Aug. 25, 1953 2,682,855 Gerace July 6, 1954 2,690,729 Maier Oct. 5, 1954 2,696,798 Jacoby Dec. 14, 1954 

